ECHL Greenville Swamp Rabbits

Warriors Surrender Fourth Place in 8-3 Setback

February 25, 2015 - ECHL (ECHL)
Greenville Swamp Rabbits News Release


Elmira, NY - The Greenville Road Warriors (28-22-3), proud ECHL affiliate of the New York Rangers and the AHL's Hartford Wolf Pack, allowed a season-high eight goals on Wednesday and fell to the Elmira Jackals 8-3 at First Arena.

The loss pushed Greenville to fifth place in the East Division, two points behind Elmira for the final playoff spot. In addition, the Road Warriors have now dropped three straight contests and are 12-13-3 on the road this season.

Elmira took command early and chased starting goaltender Jason Missiaen from the net with a trio of goals in the first period. Mike Seidel opened the scoring just 2:39 into the contest when he pushed home a one-timer from the slot for his 16th goal of the season. Zach Josepher added his first goal of the season at the 10:49 mark when he placed a wrist shot top shelf over Missiaen's glove from the left point. Less five minutes later, Colin Jacobs scored his fifth goal of the season on a rebound created by Keith Buehler's snap shot from the right side. Missiaen was pulled following the third goal at 15:46 of the opening frame and relieved by Braely Torris.

The Jackals extended their lead just 51 seconds into the second period with a shorthanded tally from Seidel. With Lucas Bloodoff in the box for roughing and unsportsmanlike conduct, Kevin Hart found Seidel in transition, who led a 2-on-1 break down the ice. Controlling the puck the rest of the way, Bloodoff went forehand to beat Torris glove-side for the 4-0 advantage.

Greenville answered at 2:26 of the middle frame when Scott Arnold collected his second goal in as many games. Following a turnover at center-ice, Arnold corralled the puck and skated into the Elmira zone on a breakaway before goaltender Travis Fullerton denied his initial attempt. Fullerton failed to smother the rebound however, and allowed the second-chance to bounce right to Chris McCarthy, who fed it to Arnold in front for his sixth goal of the season.

Elmira kept its poise and scored the next three goals to build a 7-1 advantage. At 4:33 of the second period, Taylor Stefishen netted his 12th goal of the season from Ryan Rashid and Mitch Holmberg. Later, Josepher punched home his second goal of the game at 4:05 of the third period before Rashid beat Torris blocker-side at 5:26.

Emerson Clark made it 7-2 with an unassisted blast from the blue line at 6:54 of the third period to earn his 13th goal of the season. From the right wing, Clark skated into the Jackals' zone and placed a slap shot top shelf that was too quick for Fullerton's glove.

Elmira notched its eighth and final goal at 12:22 of the third period when Matt Tassone slipped a backhand shot past Torris for his 15th goal of the season.

McCarthy finished the scoring less than two minutes later when he flipped the puck over Fullerton, who was down and out of position, from the bottom of the right circle for his 12th goal this season. Clark and Vinny Saponari each earned a helper, the latter of which extended his point streak to a season-high six games (3g, 10a).

The Road Warriors finished the game 0-for-5 on the power play and 1-for-1 on the penalty kill. Torris (2-2-0) made 17 saves in relief and suffered the loss, while Missiaen took a no decision. Fullerton stopped 31 shots in the win.

The game included a pair of third-period fights, one with Bretton Cameron and Matt Tassone (15:40), and the other between Clark and Josepher (19:37).

Elmira outshot Greenville 36-34.

Follow: Keep up with the Road Warriors all season long and interact with other fans on the Official Road Warriors Facebook, Twitter, Pintrest and Instagram pages.

Next Homestand: The Road Warriors return to SANDLAPPER Securities Rink at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena for a three-game "True Blue Weekend" homestand March 6-8. It all kicks off on Friday, March 6th versus the Florida Everblades. The first 1,000 fans in attendance will receive a special edition Road Warriors True Blue T-shirt presented by FOX Carolina and Whistle 100. In addition, the popular Warrior Fun Pack is available for Friday's game and includes (4) red-level tickets, (4) hot dogs, (4) bags of chips, (4) small fountain drinks and (2) Warriors drawstring bags for just $60!

On Saturday, March 7th, the Road Warriors will rematch against the Everblades and the first 1,000 fans in attendance will receive a blue Warriors' mesh hat courtesy of FOX Carolina and WESC 92.5.

True Blue Weekend wraps up on Sunday, March 8th when the South Carolina Stingrays visit Greenville. The Warrior Fun Pack will also be available for this matinee game and fans can take part in the final post-game skate with the team this season!

For tickets or more information, please call a Road Warriors Account Executive at 864-674-PUCK or visit GreenvilleRoadWarriors.com/tickets-overview.html ! Go to ECHL.TV to listen for free or watch the games live.

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